Footprints In The Snow
by anni-viech
Summary: A series of Jack-centered drabbles and one-shots based on a list of prompts.
1. I miss you

_A/N: I know, I know; I started a crossover only recently and should concentrate on that - but I found this list of 50 prompts (I don't even remember where) and they were really inspiring, giving me ideas, so I decided to just go with it and do some one-shots._  
_Updates will be very sporadic (whenever inspiration hits me) and I'm not sure how many of the prompts I will end up filling. You'll find them in the chapter titles._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians nor any of the characters. Just the plot bunnies that randomly attack me and make me write things.  
Cover image was drawn by me.  
_

_Warnings for this chapter: character death and some angst._

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**I miss you**

All life had to end some time – Jack knew that. He knew it very well.  
That still didn't change the fact that this simple truth sometimes tore him apart. For he did not live – living meant growth, progress, _change_ - always in a constant flow.  
No, as a spirit, Jack _existed_ - forever unchanging.  
And thus he had to watch the life around him fade away with time.

His bare feet were making barely any sound in the snow, the quietness of the place left undisturbed as he made his way past snow-covered headstones, until he arrived in front of the one he had been heading to. Slowly he bent down, brushing some of the snow off the cold, grey stone, revealing delicate scripture engraved into it:

_In loving memory of  
Jamie Matthiew Bennett  
Apr 18th, 2002  
Sep 2nd, 2056_

Pale fingers hovered over the name for a moment. When he closed his eyes, Jack could almost hear the hearty laugh he had grown so accustomed to throughout the years, almost see the understanding look in those warm brown eyes.  
The winter spirit let out a shuddering breath, resting his forehead against the cold stone. He thought the visits would probably never be easy for him, no matter what the others said about time helping with that.

It wasn't the first time Jack mourned a person he had watched throughout their life. In the course of the centuries he had grown to like certain kids, dubbing them his favorites, and had watched them grow old and often have children of their own at some point. And whenever the life of one of his favorites had come to an end, it had saddened him deeply.  
But Jamie – Jamie had been special. He had been his first believer – no, more than just that; his closest friend, a constant companion, and later on even the first adult Jack had been able to actually turn to for help and advice, the first person he had trusted enough to share the shades behind Jack Frost's fun-loving, easy-going persona with.  
Jamie had been _family_ - a brother in spirit.

After staying in that position for a few minutes, the white-haired youth raised his head again and sat down cross-legged in the snow, staff resting across his legs. For a moment the lone figure simply kept staring at the inscripture, snowflakes falling down around him in gentle circles, until the silence was broken by his soft voice.  
"Hey... Been a while since I was here."  
There was no answer – not that he had expected any.  
After a few seconds, he continued, "I was at Sophie's today. She had the kids visiting, and it was quickly decided that they'd go sledding when I came over. They went crazy as usual, screaming for me to make them go faster. Must have that from their granddad." A soft smile spread across his pale lips. "When she decided that they'd stayed outside in the cold long enough and made them go home, Peter kept whining about wanting to do some more sledding. Little rascal kept looking at me with his puppy-eyes, and you know how easy I fall victim to those." A light chuckle escaped his lips. "So, I gave in, and froze the street going down the hill leading to Soph's house, so he could have one more go. He was shouting in glee all the way down." Jack stopped for a moment there, smile disappearing, teal eyes glazing over. "It reminded me of the day I met you."

Silence spread once more over the cemetery, the winter spirit visibly trying to hold back the tears forming in his eyes. He knew there wouldn't be any reply, had expected that, really, but the silence still hurt. He lost the battle when a lone tear made it's way across his cheek, and Jack brushed it away angrily with his right sleeve. "I can't do this!" He glared at the lifeless stone in front of him, before his face disappeared into his hands, muffling his voice. "I can't act as if everything's alright!"

Because nothing was alright.

He would never be able to talk to Jamie again, never again share laughs or worries with him. Never share new experiences and adventures with him. Never have those understanding eyes simply looking at him and knowing what Jack couldn't put into words.

"I _miss_ you, Jamie!"  
Missed him so much, that it almost physically hurt.

And for the first time since Jamie's funeral, Jack wept.

It took him almost an hour until he had calmed down enough for the tears to stop falling, eyes unusually bright and slightly reddened. Jack simply continued sitting there, silently staring at the headstone that was covered in fresh snow, feeling numb.  
When dusk was approaching, the winter spirit finally decided to leave again. Casting a last glance at Jamie's final resting place, he let the wind carry him away, leaving a lone flower-shaped ice sculpture resting against the headstone.

Jack wondered if it would truly get easier to deal with the pain with time, as everyone kept telling him. If missing Jamie would ever become more bearable.  
And even if that was the case, he did not know if he'd ever find the courage to grow this close to another human again – for he'd have to face the prospect of them leaving him, too, one day.

Because Jack existed forever unchanging; watching life around him fade away with time.

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_A/N: And of course the first prompt I chose that inspired me the most, turns out to be quite melancholy... Now I made myself a little sad, haha. Oh man._

_Anyway, thanks for reading!_


	2. Perfect World

**Perfect World**

There was a peculiar quietness around him, not even really unpleasant. A white layer was covering everything in his surroundings, as far as the eye could see, the last light of the setting sun reflecting in the snow, giving it a glittering appearance. Trees, with every single branch covered in powdery white, looking as if they were made out of glass.

It was an idyll; completely undisturbed.  
No footprints in the snow marring the glittering beauty. No dirtied, slushy heaps pushed to the sides of roads and sidewalks to clear the way for better passing.

A perfect winter wonderland – just that it wasn't exactly your common kind of wonder.

Jack dangled his bare feet over the edge of the high apartment building he was sitting on. The view was fantastic from there, the horizon seemed to melt into the colorful sky. The silence felt almost natural, as if it belonged, as weird as that seemed.

He felt at peace here.  
It was easy to simply sit there and enjoy the view, his mind falling silent as if not wishing to disturb the moment. (Not to mention the fact that no one ever thought to look for him here, of all places, so he felt like he could retreat here and be by himself for a little while.)

The winter spirit tried not to think too hard about the fact that it was often the uninhabited places that made his snow look the most perfect – when there were no people to disturb the pure layers of white.

Jack imprinted the view to his memory before the sun set completely. It really was one of the most perfect displays of his snow. A soft smile was tugging at his lips at the thought, the artistic side of him feeling a little proud.

There was just one thing marring the beauty of the place, though, shattering the illusion of his perfect little winter world; whenever he'd turn his head a little too much to his right, he'd catch sight of the wrecked reactor in the distance, the sarcophagus around it slowly giving in to corrosion. In those moments the wonder would be replaced by shivers running down his spine.  
It was one thing to ignore the decayed state of the buildings around him, to overlook the deserted vehicles rusting away in the streets. He'd seen several of what people liked to call ghost towns, so it wasn't really that unusual to him. But the sight of that grey monstrosity looming ominously in the distance just made him feel a little uneasy.

Why people were so keen on destroying themselves, he would never understand. You'd think they'd learn after the first few accidents and catastrophes, but no. Seemed like in some aspects, humans were simply incorrigible.

The white-haired youth shook his head, turning his eyes away from the offending sight marring his beautiful wonderland. No, he wanted to only memorize the beauty he saw in front of him. That was what he was here for, after all, to enjoy the peace.

When the sun had disappeared behind the horizon and twilight took over, Jack finally stood up, stepping over the edge of the building. The wind caught him as soon as his feet left the concrete roof and raised him up into the air. He cast one final glance at his perfect little winter world, before taking off and heading back to the North Pole, feeling a lot more at ease.

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_A/N: So... I guess this fill might be a little unusual._ _I'm not really sure how to feel about it myself, haha.._  
_I was browsing through the gallery of a photographer who went on a tour to Pripyat/Chernobyl last winter, and there was this one photo of a decaying apartment building, partly covered by snow-covered trees, where he commented how "the snow made everything look so pretty", despite the place's history - and BAM, this fill happened.  
_

_To the guest reviewer (Radar1388): Thank you for the kind review! :) I'm really glad you liked it and that you thought Jack was still in-character, despite all the sadness. (I made myself sad writing it, too, if that's any consolation, haha~)_


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